Fit for Life: Everything Old is New Again

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health + Lifestyle Contributor

Evolve or die. Embrace change and don't be afraid of it. Times are changing and so must you. Stop being a dinosaur and get with the times. These are sayings that the younger more tech savvy people are saying to the older generation in regards to this constantly changing environment we live in, and I have to agree with the terminology to a certain extent. I believe when it comes to business, and certain conveniences in life, we need to make changes in order to survive and be productive. In business for instance, the “yellow pages” might no longer be the best avenue to increase your revenue.When you travel, having GPS navigation is a lot more efficient than carrying around a fold up map. At home, a programmable thermostat is not only a nice feature; it’s almost a must for energy conservation. Email has replaced “snail mail” in all areas of our lives. Communication has an expectation of being instantaneous.

All these things are changes for the better, however there is one thing that plays an important part in our lives, that is suffering from all sorts of updates and changes that reflect our need for convenience and ‘new’. That’s the way we take care of our health. With all the fast food, quick fixes, and fast acting products out there, we have actually gone backwards in the way we take care of ourselves. Rather than be preventative in our cure for disease, we have become a very reactive nation meaning that instead of doing what is right and healthy now, we wait until we are sick or overweight before we take action.

What Can We Learn About Our Health Today, From 100 Years Ago?

I have known this and preached against it for many years, but what has opened my eyes even wider and how much I’ve realized how backwards we have become is a book my friend gave me from his yard sale. The book was written in the 1920s. It was written by someone named Winslow and the name of the book is Healthy Living. How interesting it was to read things like this from the 1920s: “A boy learned to ride, swim, climb, and jump from the age of seven on. He trained himself to bear the heavy weight of the suits of armor, which the knights wore in battle." (No didn’t spend his time in front of videos games and television all summer, way back then). "Health and strength, come largely from habits of healthy living, in order to form such habits, you must know something about your body and how it works and what you can do to make it stronger.” (And in this day and age we know!!)

“When we wake [up] the body should be made ready for the work of the day by waking to a few simple exercises. You will find if you do this that you will grow stronger all the time, and better able to play games and run and jump and climb, and you will find yourself happier and more full of life and energy in everything you do”(hey, pretty amazing... that still works).

“Sometimes a child will skip breakfast. This is a very bad plan indeed, for soon that child will begin to have an empty feeling inside, he will become cross and fretful and will be stupid in school and work and weak at play. Remember, the body needs plenty of food, and no child can be very much use to himself or anyone else unless he has started off the morning with a good breakfast” (even in 1920 kids performed better with breakfast).

Some Old Advice

This book goes on and on giving validation to most of what I prescribe to be healthy. It even goes as far as to say that sunlight and fresh air are good for us. It is all plain and simple folks: eat properly, move functionally, and get proper rest. It is the one prescription that doesn’t have an expiration date, because time doesn’t diminish the potency of a healthy lifestyle, it enhances it. So my suggestion is to keep going to modernize and keep up with the times – increase your social networks to 10,000 ‘fans’, keep updating to more useful cell phones, iPads, and such. Let’s work on our technology of sending people from 200 miles beneath the ocean to Mars and back. But let’s also take what we know works from the past. And while we’re at it, eliminate what science is catching up to tell us about a lot of the new things in our lives; let’s get rid of the drive through fast food, go back to paper, and kick the Styrofoam and plastic. While I’m at it let me say this – stop making and using recumbent bicycles, ab machines, and “get ripped quick” books. It’s an old school statement: “if it ain't broke don't fix it”. Or, pick up a health book from the 20s – you could be shocked at how revolutionary all those ‘old’ concepts can sound.

Espeut has worked as a personal trainer for almost 20 years with clients ranging in age from 14 to 86. His focus is on overall health, strength, and functional conditioning. Holistic health and nutrition is the cornerstone of all his programs. Matt works in private and small group training available at your home or office location or at gym facilities. Matt offers his services to everyone wanting to be more fit and healthy, overweight young people, youth/collegiate athletes, and seniors. Matt has worked and continues to train at several facilities in the Providence area including Gold's Gym and CORE Studio, and he believes continued education is a must in his field. Email Matt: [email protected], check out his website at http://www.fitnessprofiles.net or on Facebook at Matt Espeut or on Twitter @MattEspeut.

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